The prevailing notion of "fair and lovely" is under the microscope in this playful and entertaining short drama. Seema, a precocious 11-year-old girl, is constantly goaded by her "Masi" (Aunt) about her dark skin. Since her aunt is big on cleaning, Seema resorts to a few bottles of a beloved household cleaning product to see if she can remedy this flaw. After an unexpected turn of events, a beautiful truth is revealed.
Filmmaker's website: http://www.btpix.ca/
Director's statement:
Although the protagonist of this story is East Indian, Seema's struggle is common among women from many cultures of the world. Fair skin is desirable for the Chinese, African American, Filipino, Spanish, Pakistani, Columbian and Japanese, just to name a few. Women from these divergent backgrounds all wish for whiter skin and many go to great (even dangerous) lengths to try to change their natural pig-ment.
As an Indian growing up in Calgary, Canada (a very white community) I hated my darker skin and wished I could scrub away the difference. In my community it could not go unnoticed that all Indian politicians, actors, actresses and even their Gods and Goddesses all had fair skin. Unconsciously we all knew that only fair skinned people were successful. We all hoped for whiter skin. All parents wished to have children with a fair pigment. If their kids were not blessed with fair skin, they were forbidden to spend time in the sun, and were introduced to bleaching creams like ‘Fair and Lovely.' Children were even ridiculed and sometimes seen as an embarrassment to their parents.
This attitude inspired me to make the film Me, Masi and Mr. Clean. My aim was to make an entertaining comedy that could provide a healthy message for both parents and children. If the film could change an opinion of even one person then I feel it has done its job.
